Car door



4 Sheets-Sheet l1 cAR 4DOOR G. B. DoREY Filed Marchv 25'. 1929 July 5, 1932.

G. B. DOREY July s, 1932.

CAR DOOR ,Filed March 25, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 f y E. MY w i# do QN v D y Sw ,Z uw :l f M M mv G Q G. B. DOREY July. 5, 1932.

CAR DOOR Filed March 25, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 47 Z/zz/@faaf' f5 /5 @EOE e. DOREY /6 /Z @y ZW fw July" s, 1932.

Filed March 25, 1929 G. B. DOREY CAR DOOR 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 v /fo I l I I I 1 l l l I I I l I I I I I I l I 1 l l I I l I I I I I Patented July 5, 1932 UNETED STATES PATENT oFFicE GEORGE B. DOREY, 0F EVANSTON, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F ILLINOIS CAR DOOR Application filed March 25, 1929. Serial No. 349,620.

This invention relates to improvements in car doors.

An object of the invention is to provide strong and light metallic car doors wherein the vertical margins will be braced by tubular formations and wherein the doors will be further braced to resist bending and buckling along the various crosslines.

Another object of the invention is to provide sliding doors suitable for operation in pairs, one of such doorsA bei-ng in the nature of an auxiliary door and provided with suitable anchoring means for attachment with the car structure and adapted to be released i only when a large door opening is required for loading or unloading freight units of abnormal size.

Another object of the invention resides in the provision of an auxiliary door having a reinforcing marginal stile member of bo x shaped formation adapted to form a rigid support for a wooden nailing block member and also form enclosing means for movable door anchoring means.`

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel door construction at the meeting edges of the doors whereby the front edge of the auxiliary door will be so constructed as to embrace the front edge of the main door and provide a weather proof joint at the meeting edges of the door.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a metallic door structure provided with a rigid marginal frame of appreciable depth and having reinforcing' braces confined within the space between the inner and outer faces defining said depth, in conjunction with metallic panels secured to said frame in its outer plane and provided with corrugations formed to present extended surfaces a considerable distance outwardly from the outer face of the door to thereby enhance resistance against transverse buckling,bending stresses.

Other objects of the invention will more clearly appear from the description and claims hereinafter following.

In the drawings forming apart ofthe specification, Figure l is a. side elevational view of a portion of a car showing mypimproved j construction incorporated therewith. Figure 2 is a broken, horizontal, sectional view, on an enlarged scale, corresponding to line 2 2 of Figure l. Figure 8 is an enlarged detail, horizontal sectional view of one of the rear vertical marginal reinforce-vv ments taken on a line corresponding substantially to the line 3 3 of Figure 1. Fig. 3a is an enlarged view of the central portion of Figure 2, showing the structure adjacent the meeting edges of the doors. Figure 4 is an enlarged, broken, vertical, sectional view taken through the door and on a line corresponding substantially to the line 1 -4: of Figure l. Figure 4a. is an enlarged detail vertical section of the lower portion of the door structure shown in Figure Y2, taken through one of the supporting rollers and bracket. Figure 5 is an enlarged, broken side'elevational view of that portion of the car structure shown in Figure 4. Figure 6 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken through the door and on a line corresponding substantially to the line 6-6 of Figure l. And Figure 7 is a view similar to Fig. l with the exception that the door body panelling has-been rigidified in a somewhat different manner.

Referring first to the construction illustrated in Figures 1 6 inclusive, the car is provided with an enlarged door .opening adapted to be` closed by sliding doors as in-` dicated at A and B respectively. The door A is inthe nature of a main door adapted to be used for normal loading requirements, while door Bis in the nature of an auxiliary door and is adapted for use only when a door openingof abnormal size is' required. At the upper portion of the door opening, l0 indicates the usual top side place, preferably of Z-shape construction7 11-11 the vertical door posts of the car, 12 the lower sill of the car, 13 the car floor and 14 the threshold plate.

In the embodiment shown, the doors are of the bottom supported type and for this purpose a supporting track 15 is employed, said track being preferably supported from the side sill of the car by a series of supporting brackets 16, the doors being provided with supporting roller mechanisms C which rest upon the supporting track 15.

Adjacent the upper margins of the doors there is disposed the usual guiding track and Weather-guard 17 which in the present embodiment consists of a Z-bar rolled section secured to the depending flange of the member 10.

The doors A and B are composed of metal, the main body portions being of relatively light gauge, being corrugated for strengthening purposes, and preferably consisting of a plurality of panels for each door. The panelling composing the body portion of the main door A preferably consists of an upper panel 18 and a lower panel 19, and the panelling for door B is preferably formed of an upper panel 20, central panel 21 and lower panel 22. The respective doors are of similar construction insofar as the upper horizontal rear vertical and lower horizontal margins are concerned, but differ in features of construction relating to the meeting edges of the doors. Each door includes a top Z bar 23, and at the rear vertical margin a Z-bar 24 having the inner flange thereof modified to present a U-shape 124 adapted to engage in Wedging relation with flange 25 of an angle member 26 carried by the associated door post structure 11.

The front vertical margin of door A includes a Z bar member 27 having its web 28 extending transversely of the door and one of the flanges thereof 29 disposed in the inner plane of the door and projecting forwardly beyond the web 28 for cooperation with the auxiliary door B in a manner to be hereinafter described. The outer vertical margin of the auxiliary door B consists of an angularly shaped member 30 having one of the flanges thereof 31 extending transversely inwardly of the door. The said marginal members 23, 24, 27 and 30 each has a flange 32 overlying the body panelling and secured thereto by rivets 33, said flanges 32 defining substantially the outer plane of the door.

The bottom of the door is formed of tubular shape for the purpose of strengthening the door, said formation being of like construction for both doors and the description therefore will be confined to one door. In providing the tubular formation the lower edge of the bottom panel is deflected inwardly to provide a horizontally extending web 34 and thereafter downwardly to provide a depending wall 35, spaced inwardly from the main body of the panelling. On the inner side of the door a facing plate 36 is provided which is offset inwardly as at 37 and thereafter upwardly to provide a vertical flange 38 disposed against the inner side of the panelling and secured thereto by rivets 39. The facing plate 36 adjacent the lower margin of the door is offset inwardly as at 40 and thereafter downwardly to provide a depending flange 41, said depending flange abutting against depending flange 35 and united thereto by full-headed rivets 42.

There are at least two roller mechanisms C per door, but since they are the same in construction, only one will be described in detail. The roller construction includes a housing 43 having wall sections 44 and 45 respectively overlying the main bodv section of the panelling, and the inwardly offset depending wall 35 and riveted to these portions by rivets 46. The walls 44 and 45 are united by integral wall sections 146. Carried by said walls 44 and 45 is a trunnion 47 which is maintained against rotation and endwise displacement by a rivet 48. Disposed between the walls 44 and 45 and carried on the trunnion 47 is a roller 49, said roller projecting upwardly into the plane of the main body section, which is cut away as indicated at 50, to accommodate said roller, it being understood that the overlying walls of the roller housing compensate in strength for the cutaway portion of the plate.

0n the inner side, the doors are reinforced adjacent their vertical margins by vertically extending flanged channel shaped members as indicated at 51 and 52, the reinforcements 51 correspondng substantially in depth to the depth of the door, and being disposed at the front rear edge of door A and at the rear edge of door B, whereas member 52 is disposed adjacent the front edge of the auxiliary door B and is extended inwardly transversely of the door beyond the inner face thereof and fitted with a nailing block 53 in a manner to be hereinafter described.

Each member 51 preferably extends from the top to the bottom of the door, the flanges 54 on either side of the channel section being riveted on the one side to the body panelling, and on the opposite side to the body panelling and to the overlying flange 32 of the associated marginal member, thus providing a three-ply thickness of metal adjacent the margins of the doors. The member 52 is of channel construction with flanges 54 similar to the members 51 except that the transverse walls 55 and 56 are spaced apart a somewhat greater distance horizontally and are extended transversely of the door well beyond the inner plane of the door, thus disposing the connecting wall 57 well beyond the inner plane of the door. The wooden nailing block 53 is secured to the connecting wall 57 by t mean-ff 3 A seat rearwardly of the projecting flange 29 on door A when the doors lare in meeting relation, said flange 61 being flared at its outer end as indicated at 62 to assist inv guiding the doors into meeting relation. "With the j doors in fully closed position the marginal sst transverse wall k31 of'door B is in abutting relation with the transverse wall 28 of door A and the wall 31 of door B lies in the angle formed by web 28 and-inner flange 29 of the Z member, thereby 'forming a weather-proof joint at the meeting edges of the doors augmenting that provided by the overlapping relation between lflange 61 and flange 29. The vertical marginal transverse Hangs-31 is maintained against displacement by filler castings 63'which are interposed -in the space intermediate th'e transverse flange 31 and the transversely extending wall 56, said casting being secured to the door by rivets 64 extending through the three ply thickness of metal at the outer edge of the door. Similarly other filler castings 65 are employed between veach of the members 51 and the Vassociated transversely extending margin'al wall,l said castings at the rear edge of the doors being prefera-bly disposed in alignment with the door stops on the car structure usually employed to limit the opening travel of the doors.

The doors are further braced on the inner sides thereof by diagonally extending chani nel-shaped braces 66 which extend from the lower tubular section of each door to the vertical :elements 51 and 52, said braces having flanges adjacent their ends riveted to the flanged portions of the verticalelements and Y: adjacent portions of the lower horizontal section, and also having side flanges riveted to the body panelling intermediate the corrugations.

The 'auxiliary door is provided adj acent its meeting edge with anchoring means which preferably consists of upper and lower sliding bolts as 'indicated at 67 and 68, said bolts being respectively movable into engagement with sockets 69 and 70 respectively disposed on the car structure adjacent the upper and lower portions of the door. Said bolts are slidably mounted in. brackets 71 disposed within Ythe stile V52 at the corner formed byy the wall sections Y56 and v57, and each bolt is provided with a laterally extending head 72 whichis extended outwardly beyond the adjacent wall 55 ofy the stile52, and projects a suiiicient Idistance beyond thewall to aord a finger hold for ready operation. The laterally textendingsheads 7-2 of :the bolts '67 and 68 are movable in L-shaped slots 78 which include a ledge portion 74 adapted to register with the bolt head to maintain the upper bolt 67 in projected position as indicated in full lines and the lower bolt 68 in retracted position as indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6. The movement of the bolt-head into and out of engagement with its associated ledge is dependent on a partial rotation of the bolt, and for the purpose of maintaining the upper bolt 67 in operative locking position a pivotally mounted pawl member 75 is provided, said member being adapted to swing by gravity into the path of movement of the bolt-head and block its movement in the slot.

The strengthening indentations in the body panelling include horizontal corrugations 76 which extend partially across the plane of the vertical beam members 51 and 52, thus providing for continuity of reinforcement between the vertical and horizontal reinforcements. The horizontal reinforcements are divided at a certain point of the door B for the reception of a cardboard 7 7 and the door is reinforced across the plane of the said board by a channel-shaped member 78 disposed on the inner side of the door. The main door A may include a rigidifying embossment in the form of a descriptive-or intelligence conveying symbol such as the letter E incorporated in this embodiment, by way of illustration.

The vertical marginal members 51 and 52 are extended to overlap and be secured to the upwardly extending flange 38, of the facing plate 86, thus making effective connection with the bottom tubular bracing of the door. The connection between said vertical and horizontal members is increased in effectiveness by having one of the connecting rivets also extend through the wall 44 of the supporting bracket casting 43, thus providing for uninterrupted vertical reinforcement upwardly from the door supporting rollers to the topof the door. The lower portion of stile member 52 is extended downwardly into the plane of the facing plate and united therewith by a connecting bracket 79. Adjacent the lower portion of stile 52 a stop plate 80 is provided having upstanding flanges 81 and 82 adapted to contact with the stile to respectively limit inward. and forward movement of the door. y

As best shown in Figures 2 and 6, the sheet metal panels providing the covering for each door frame `are formed in a peculiar manner, that-is, each panel has its marginal edges secured substantially flush with the outer plane of the door, and elongated horizontal corrugations 76 formed therein in such manner that the crest or peak portions 83 extend a considerable distance outwardly beyond said outer plane or face of the door, and the valley .portions 84C are disposed inwardly thereinso `as to permit the same to be secured to the members 51 and 52 and in certain locations also to the diagonal braces 66, by riveting. The crest portions 83 of the corrugations are formed of considerably greater width than the valley portions 84, since the latter need present only sufficient area to permit the required riveting, while the crest portions 83 are designed by their extended width to present increased strength at a point considerably to one side of the main plane of the door, thereby enhancing its resistance to transverse bending or buckling stresses through localizing the major portion of the panel strength at a point removed to one side of the main plane of the door. By reason of this construction a door is provided having strength corresponding to increased transverse thickness against bending and buckling, and wherein the increased strength is afforded by the disposition of the extended surfaces of the corrugations in the manner described. The corrugations 7 6 adjacent the ends intersect the planes of the reinforcing member, and taper so as to gradually merge into the body portions of the plate.

In the construction shown in Figure 7, the doors A and B are of similar construction to that described in connection with Figures 1-6 inclusive, except that the two upper panels of door A as indicated at 110 and 111 are rigidified with horizontally extending corrugations 112.

vWhile I have herein shown and described what I now consider the preferred manner of carrying out my invention, the same is merely illustrative and I contemplate all changes and modifications that come within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim 1. In a car door, the combination with a body portion; of a reinforced edge construction for said door including: a member secured to the body portion and spaced inwardly from the meeting edge of said door and having a transversely extending wall, an angular member secured to said body portion presenting an abutting wall at the meeting edge of said door, said abutting wall extending substantially parallel with said transversely extending wall and terminating short of the latter, and a member having a wall extending substantially at right angles to said transverse wall and extending to a position adjacent to, but spaced from, the terminal end of said abutting wall, said walls cooperating to provide a recess for the accommodation of the projecting portion of a cooperating door.

2. In a railway car, in combination, a main door and an auxiliary sliding door, each of said doors including a framework having at the meeting edge of each of the respective doors a marginal reinforcing member including a flange in substantially the outer plane of the door and a transversely extending flange, said members on one door being angle-shaped and on the other door being Z-shaped, said Z-shape having one of its flanges extending rearwardly of the transverse flange on the opposite door when said doors are in meeting relation, said doors when in meeting relation being adapted to have the outer flanges of the vertical reinforcing members on the respective doors lying in substantially the same plane.

3. In a railway car having a main door and an auxiliary door, the combination with a Z-shaped marginal reinforcement at the outer` edge of the main door, said Z-shaped member having a transversely extending web and flanges respectively disposed in the outer and inner planes of the door; and an inwardly transversely extending wall on the auxiliary door adapted to cooperate with the inner flange and web of the Z-bar on the companion door to provide a weather proof joint.

1l. In a railway car, main and auxiliary sliding doors adapted to meet with transversely extending marginal walls in abutting relation, said doors being of appreciable thickness, one of said doors having the outer edge thereof defined by an angle shaped member with one of the flanges disposed transversely of the door and constituting an abutting wall, and the other of said doors having its outer edge defined by a Z-bar section with one flange thereof disposed in the inner plane of the door, said flange extending rearwardly of and in overlapping relation with the transversely extending flange on the adjacent door.

5. In a construction of the character described, the combination with a main sliding' door and an auxiliary sliding door, said auxiliary door having a main body portionr disposed substantially in the outer plane of the door, and a flanged U-shaped beam member adjacent the front edge of the door, said beam member being formed with a section extended transversely of the door inwardly beyond the main plane thereof and secured by its flanges to the body section, one of said flanges of the U-shape being adapted to overhang the adjacent door; and an angularly shaped member secured to the said overhanging flange, one of said Hanges of the angular member forming an abutment for the adjacent door.

6. In a railway car door, the combination with a body plate section; of a reinforcing angularly shaped member for the outer edge of the door, said member having one of its flanges overlying the body plate and the adjacent flange extending transversely inwardly of the door; a flanged channel shaped member disposed on the inner side of the door and cooperating with the body plate to provide a box-shaped section, said member having one of its flanges secured to the overlying flange of the angle shaped member and having a transversely extending wall spaced lengthwise of the door from the transverse marginal flange; and an angleshaped member secured by one of its flanges to said transverse wall and having the adjacent flange extending in the general direction of the main body of the doorv and spaced from the outer edge of the transverse flange, said last named flange in cooperation with the said transverse marginal flange being adapted to form a recess for a companion door.

7 In a railway car; the combination with a main door and an auxiliary door; of a reinforcement for the outer edge of the auxiliary door, said reinforcement including-a flanged channel shaped stile rigidly secured by its flanges to the door7 said reinforcement being extended inwardly to present spaced walls extending transversely of the door beyond the inner face thereof and a wall extending substantially parallel to the general plane of the door and connecting said spaced walls at an appreciable distance beyond the inner face of the door; a nailing block secured to said last named wall; and securing means for said block extending thlrough said last named wall, one of the transverse walls of the reinforcement being formed with perforations to permit of access to said securing means.

8. In a railway car having a doorway and a pair of sliding doors adapted to extend across said doorway, one of such doorshaving a body section formed of metallic plate; an angularly shaped marginal reinforcing member secured with one of its flanges overlying the body panelling and having its adjacent liange extending transversely inwardly of the door, said last named flange constituting an abutment for the other of said doors; avertical marginal reinforcing member having a transversely extending web portion and wall sections extending substantially parallel with the main plane ofthe door and disposed on opposite sides of said transverse web portion, one of said wall sections being spaced rearwardly from the door and the other of said walls lying against the inner face of the metallic panelling and cooperating therewith and with the overlying flange of the vertical angular member toform a three-ply body thickness adjacent the outer edge of the door; rivets connecting said three ply thicknesses of material; and a nailing block secured to the rearwardly spaced wall section.v y

9. In a railway car, the combination with a main door and an auxiliary door7 said main door having a flange portion projecting beyond the main body portion and disposed substantially in the'inner plane of the door; of a flanged channel shaped stile member adjacent the outer edge of the auxiliary door, said member being securedto the main Vbody of the door by its flanges and cooperating with said body portion to' present a boxshaped' section having a wall spaced rearwardly beyond the inner face of the door and transversely extending walls; a lnailing block secured to said rearwardly spaced wall, one of the transverse walls having perforations formed therein; an angle-shaped member secured to the other of said transverse walls; and an angle shaped-member secured by one of its flanges to the auxiliary door by securing means extending through the body panelling and one of the flanges of the stile meml ber, said angle-shaped member having the other of its flanges extending transversely of the door, said last named flange, and the outstanding flange on the door stile cooperating to form inner and outer sealing flanges for auxiliary door adapted to cooperate with said projecting flange to provide a weather-proof joint when the doors are in meeting relation, said means including a transversely extending marginal wall on the auxiliary door and a second wall disposed in angular relation with respect to the transverse marginal wall, said transverse wall and angular wall bein adapted to lie on opposite sides of the forwardy projecting flange on the main door when the doors are in meeting relation, and y said transverse wall being arranged to abut the body of the Z-shaped member on said nain Adoor when the doors are in meeting relaion.

ll. In a railway car; the combination with a main door and an auxiliary door; of a Z- shaped marginal reinforcement at the outer edge of the main door, said Z-shaped member being disposed with its web extending transversely of the door and a flange substantially in the inner plane of the door; an angle shaped marginal reinforcement on the auxillary door, said member having a transversely extending flange adapted to cooperate with the web ofthe Z-shaped member on the main door to form an abutment for the main door when the doors are in meeting relation; and a wall section on the auxiliary door extending in a direction coincident with the general plane of the door, said wall section being spaced transversely from the outer edge of the transversely extending flange of the angular reinforcing member, said wall section and transverse flange cooperating with the inner flange of the Z-bar on the companion door to provide a weather-proof joint. j

12. In a railway car, the combination with an auxiliary door and a main door, said doors being of appreciable depth, said main door having a transversely extending wall forming an abutment for contacting relation with the auxiliary door and having a flange disposed substantially in the inner plane of the door and projecting beyond said abutting wall; of a transverse abutting wall on the auxiliary door adapted to seat in the angle made by said abutting wall and projecting flange on the main door when said doors are in meeting relation; a reinforcing element on the auxiliary door having a transversely disposed wall extending rearwardly beyond the inner face of the door, said wall being spaced from the transverse abutting wall sufficiently to accommodate the forwardly projecting flange on the main door when said doors are closed; and an angular member secured to the transversely extending wall of the reinforcing element and having a flange extending in the general plane of the door adapted to seat behind the projecting flange on the main door when said doors are closed.

13. In a sliding car door, the combination with a marginal framework of appreciable depth; of panelling disposed substantially in the outer plane of the door, a facing plate disposed substantially in the inner plane of the door; said facing plate and body panelling being deflected towards each other and formed with depending flanges adapted to be riveted together, said depending flanges and the rivet heads being disposed within the plane of the door; and door carrying brackets secured to the outer face of the panelling and to the depending flange thereof; rollers carried by said brackets, said rollers being disposed in the plane of the main body portion of the panelling, said panelling being cut away to accommodate the roller, said door brackets being provided with wall portions to reinforce the door at the cut away portions.

14. In a sliding car door, the combination with a body section including metallic panelling, said panelling at the lower margin of the door being bent inwardly and thence downwardly to present an inwardly extending section and a downwardly extending section spaced inwardly away from said main portion; of a supporting roller at the lower margin of the door, said roller having a portion thereof projecting in the plane of the main body section of the panelling; said body section being cut away to accommodate the projecting portion of the roller; and a roller supporting housing having wall sections overlying the cut away portion of the body section and adapted to provide for continuity of reinforcement across the plane of the cutaway portion.

15. In a railway car having a doorway and a pair of sliding doors adapted to extend across said doorway; one of said doors having associated therewith a hollow stile member of box-like formation, said member including spaced, transversely extending walls and a connecting wall extending between said transverse walls, said last named wall being spaced rearwardly from the inner plane of the door; a sliding bolt mounted within said stile member for reciprocatory and rotary movement, said member having a laterally extending head extending through one of the transversely extending walls whereby movement of the bolt may be effected from the exterior of the stile; and a means providing a pocket on the car structure adapted to receive the bolt to maintain the door in adj usted position.

16. In a structure of the character described, the combination with a main door and an auxiliary door, said auxiliary door being provided with a door post member extending rearwardly therefrom, and having means providing a flange projecting toward the main door, and an abutting wall extending transversely of said auxiliary door and disposed outwardly of said projecting flange, said main door having means providing an abutting wall adapted to engage said first wall abutting on the auxiliary door and including a flange extending beyond said second abutting wall and into Overlapping relation with said first flange on the auxiliary door when the doors are in closed position.

17. In a railway car, the combination of sliding doors adapted to meet when in closed position, a Z-shaped marginal reinforcement at the outer edge of one door having a transversely extending web and flanges respectively defining the outer and inner planes of said door, an angle shaped member disposed at the outer edge of the other door, and having one flange secured to the door substantially in alignment with and forming a continuation of the outer flange of said Z-shaped marginal reinforcement, said angle shaped member having another flange extending transversely of the door and adapted to abut the web of the Z--shaped reinforcement when the doors are in meeting relation, and means spaced away from said transverse flange of said angle member adapted to overlap the inner flange of the Z-shaped marginal reinforcement and form in cooperation with the said transverse flange a recess adapted to accommodate the said inner flange of the Z-shaped marginal reinforcement.

18. In a railway car, a doorway and a pair of sliding doors adapted to extend across said doorway, one of said doors having a body section formed of metallic panelling; an angularly shaped marginal reinforcing member secured with one of its flanges overlapping the body paneling and having the adjacent flange extending transversely inwardly of the door, a vertical marginal reinforcing member having means extending transversely of the door inwardly beyond the transverse marginal flange, and a flange disposed to one side of said wall means and overlying the body paneling and secured CPB 

